16823 is home

[aipri]

Brought 16823 home yesterday. Very excited, and had to put her to the test early as I had to drive it 2 hours and 90 miles to get home. Definitely drove like a 30 yr old car as I expected, but no major issues at all. Only issues which I have to start with, as I already knew, are the angle drive causing the bouncy speedo needle, and the loose steering column. Can't wait to begin working on it! Definitely no feeling compares to seeing it in my garage. I'm psyched :woot:

[Mike F]

Congrats!

[Ron]

:thumbup2:

[Patrick C]

Congrats!

[Chris Burns]

;)

congrats man!!

[DashEight]

Excellent! Congrats! -P

[Dangermouse]

"To Xfinity and beyond...."

Sorry, wrong movie :)

Congrats and more pics please!!

[OverlandMan]

Welcome to the club! More pics!

[aipri]

"To Xfinity and beyond...."

Sorry, wrong movie :)

Congrats and more pics please!!

Haha I knew someone would notice that. Yeah I work for Comcast and have random Xfinity merchandising invading my garage.

Thanks guys, I will get more pics soon!

[DMC81]

Congrats! Keep us posted.:rollin:

[DeLorean03]

Poor fella. What did you just get yourself into :hihi2: ...

Welcome to the fun :).

[ALEXAKOS]

Woohooo!!!
HELL YEAH!!
Enjoy it man;)

MORE PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!:smashfreak::smashfreak::smashfrea k:

[Jonathan]

Brought 16823 home yesterday.

...and the loose steering column.

Congrats Anthony! This is a red letter day in the history of....... VIN 16823 :)

Steering column loose i.e. the bushing needs replacing? Or loose i.e. the tilt and telescopic feature is rattling around?

Definitely not trying to gauge your DMC knowledge yet, just wanted to mention in case you didn't realize one feature of our beautiful 1981/2 DeLoreans is tilt and telescoping steering wheels. There is a handle/knob under the drivers dash, on the right side of the steering column and just below say the knee pad on the right side. It's the sort of thing you can back off and then adjust the up down in and out, and then tighten back up. It's not uncommon for them to be "challenging" to get tight enough not for the column/wheel to rattle around. Not to mention that knob isn't exactly the most ergonomic thing you'll ever try to squeeze and twist hard on.

It's shown on page 12 of the Owners Manual, although the picture doesn't really show the knob at all.

Anywho, welcome to the club!

[Domi]

Congratulation on your purchase!
Just enjoy the car now :)
And like the others members said, more pictures please :wave:

[aipri]

Congrats Anthony! This is a red letter day in the history of....... VIN 16823 :)

Steering column loose i.e. the bushing needs replacing? Or loose i.e. the tilt and telescopic feature is rattling around?

Definitely not trying to gauge your DMC knowledge yet, just wanted to mention in case you didn't realize one feature of our beautiful 1981/2 DeLoreans is tilt and telescoping steering wheels. There is a handle/knob under the drivers dash, on the right side of the steering column and just below say the knee pad on the right side. It's the sort of thing you can back off and then adjust the up down in and out, and then tighten back up. It's not uncommon for them to be "challenging" to get tight enough not for the column/wheel to rattle around. Not to mention that knob isn't exactly the most ergonomic thing you'll ever try to squeeze and twist hard on.

It's shown on page 12 of the Owners Manual, although the picture doesn't really show the knob at all.

Anywho, welcome to the club!

Hey Jonathan, the first thing I did before driving the car was adjust the tilt steering since the previous owner was much shorter than me and the steering wheel was in on my knees lol. The bushing issue was what I was referring to. I definitely felt a lot of shaking in the column as I was driving, more than the vibrations from just needing an alignment. So I am pretty sure the bushings need to be replaced.

[Jonathan]

Hey Jonathan, the first thing I did before driving the car was adjust the tilt steering since the previous owner was much shorter than me and the steering wheel was in on my knees lol. The bushing issue was what I was referring to. I definitely felt a lot of shaking in the column as I was driving, more than the vibrations from just needing an alignment. So I am pretty sure the bushings need to be replaced.

Right on. The steering column bushing is reasonably easy to do. You're likely right about that being the source, it's fairly common from hearing about other guys with similar issues. Good stuff.

I know what you mean about the person before you being shorter... and I didn't have the steering wheel in my knees as much as the seat was about 3 clicks forward too far. Oh, look at that. My car didn't come with slide release bars. Mighty fine of you Mr. PO to not reinstall those while you had the seats redone, lol. Luckily I got some help sourcing a parts car pair and they went in fine and I could adjust the seat. Not exactly a good moment when the car gets delivered, and to my surprise I was like "ummm, I don't think I fit?" I had sat in other DeLoreans, so I knew I should be able to fit. Just another part on my borderline comical list of parts that were flat out missing on my car. Eeek, I think it petered out at around $1,200 worth once they had all been replaced. Core charges not so much fun when you have no core :)

[JohnZ]

Happy Deloreaning!

:lockdance:

[Hokie]

As the owner of 16882, we're practically related now! :) Congrats.!

[tom kish vin. 4357]

Congratulations
enjoy the car I remember driving mine home and all the people looking,giving the thumbs up,and snaping photos!!

[RammJaeger]

Congrats. I'm 16893 so we're not too far off!!!

[aipri]

Right on. The steering column bushing is reasonably easy to do. You're likely right about that being the source, it's fairly common from hearing about other guys with similar issues. Good stuff.

I know what you mean about the person before you being shorter... and I didn't have the steering wheel in my knees as much as the seat was about 3 clicks forward too far. Oh, look at that. My car didn't come with slide release bars. Mighty fine of you Mr. PO to not reinstall those while you had the seats redone, lol. Luckily I got some help sourcing a parts car pair and they went in fine and I could adjust the seat. Not exactly a good moment when the car gets delivered, and to my surprise I was like "ummm, I don't think I fit?" I had sat in other DeLoreans, so I knew I should be able to fit. Just another part on my borderline comical list of parts that were flat out missing on my car. Eeek, I think it petered out at around $1,200 worth once they had all been replaced. Core charges not so much fun when you have no core :)

Yeah I had to put the seat all the way back, then put the seat back all the way, THEN lift the steering wheel up lol, but I can fit in pretty well that way. And yeah its definitely the bushing, I checked the column today at the floor and it has a ton of play in it.

[aipri]

Nice to meet you fellow 168XX'ers!! Yeah I had to drive mine 80 miles on the New Jersey Turnpike, so suffice to say there were a lot of gawkers lol it was an interesting experience!

[Rad Dad]

As with all the previous owners, congrats. My vin is 16867. So far in 2013 it has been driven over 3,000 miles. It is a great road car with over 140,000 miles on it. As much fun as it is to look at it in your garage (I certainly did my share of that), it is even more fun to get out on the road and really drive it. :welcome:

Dick Ryan, The Rad Dad

[Silverbullet]

Congrats... When you first get the car it is a Love-Hate thing.... Love the car, hate the money it costs to fix ALL the stuff that somehow needs to be done. But you forget everytime you get to drive it, and feel lucky when you make it home without issues...lol
Enjoy!

Craig

[DavidProehl]

Congrats! Bringing the car home that first night is one of the best feelings in the world. Keep that feeling in mind when things don't go as planned. It is worth it for that great feeling!

[aipri]

Haha yeah you guys are 100% right. I'm excited and at the same time planning what to fix first. I couldn't imagine not having this forum and all the great info though, it has totally prepared me for what I'm in store for.

[Josh]

Haha yeah you guys are 100% right. I'm excited and at the same time planning what to fix first. I couldn't imagine not having this forum and all the great info though, it has totally prepared me for what I'm in store for.

Congrats on the new wheels.

The forum is a great tool. If you ever have a question, just ask and someone can help cause they have done it before! As for being totally prepared, I would doubt that... but you will learn as you go! Get your hands dirty and open up that wallet, haha

[krs09]

Congrats !! Welcome to the show. One of these days will have to meet up and compare all the work a head of us. Well me for sure:race:

[aipri]

211812118221183211842118521186Ok here are some more pics! Interior shots didn't turn out so hot due to the sun. And yes I know I need to buy the metal coolant bottle!

[Kenny_Z]

Congratulations. She looks really nice.

[Jonathan]

Nice Anthony.

Is your car equipped with cruise control? Any details on it or the manufacturer? Does it work?

Anyone know the history of the super sized font DMC letters floor mats? Looks good.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Nice looking car. Congrats. Even looks like no eyebrows.:hihi:

[Chris Burns]

Late car with black interior and a automatic. NICE FIND!!:race:

[aipri]

Nice Anthony.

Is your car equipped with cruise control? Any details on it or the manufacturer? Does it work?

Anyone know the history of the super sized font DMC letters floor mats? Looks good.

Yes it is, how could you tell? The PO said it was installed by the dealership the original owner bought it from. It actually does work which was surprising.

[aipri]

Nice looking car. Congrats. Even looks like no eyebrows.:hihi:

Thanks! Yeah no eyebrows but there is a tiny bit of warping, barely noticeable

[Jonathan]

Yes it is, how could you tell? The PO said it was installed by the dealership the original owner bought it from. It actually does work which was surprising.

Just from playing "one of these things is not like the other" ...in the engine bay that is. You can see most of it in the upper left hand corner, to the left of the ballast resistor. You can also see what is likely the control cable routed over and towards the throttle spool. I didn't see where the controls were though on the dash or steering wheel?

I've not driven a D with cruise control. Likely a bit different technology than what is in new cars. I remember driving an Olds Delta 88 back when and you could watch the pedal move when the cruise control was speeding the car back up after getting re-engaged. Always thought that was bizarre. Like those self playing pianos kind of.

Any other modifications or upgrades you've noticed on your car yet? Do you have a photo of the fuse and relay area that you'd like to share and maybe someone on here might help spot some other oddities for you?

[aipri]

Yeah I figured it must be obvious in the engine bay. The control is mounted to the right of the steering wheel, I will take a pic and also one of the fusebox later today. The cruise control is the only modification I've noticed, the PO kept a lot of it original unless it was malfunctioning, as you can see by the original coolant bottle.

[aipri]

Here are the pics of the cruise control as well as the fuse box. I took the cover off of the fusebox for the pic obviously, should I leave it off? I know some of you said it gets hot in the fusebox and leaving the cover off can help prevent melting, etc

2124021242

[louielouie2000]

Here are the pics of the cruise control as well as the fuse box. I took the cover off of the fusebox for the pic obviously, should I leave it off? I know some of you said it gets hot in the fusebox and leaving the cover off can help prevent melting, etc

Yes, definitely leave the lid off the fuse box. Cleaning the contacts in your fusebox will also help prevent fuse box meltdowns (and fires... quite deadly to fiberglass bodied cars), as will cleaning your grounds. Unless someone has since remade them, the fuse block is one of the unavailable DeLorean parts, so take the time for preventative maintenance for sure.

[Jonathan]

Here are the pics of the cruise control as well as the fuse box. I took the cover off of the fusebox for the pic obviously, should I leave it off? I know some of you said it gets hot in the fusebox and leaving the cover off can help prevent melting, etc

2124021242

Nice spot for the cruise controls. Looks like it wouldn't get hit by your knee or bumped much there.

Yes, most owners leave their fuse box cover off to make it easier for heat to dissipate.

That being said, your fuse and relay area looks pretty darn nice all things considered, so heat doesn't appear to have been an issue with the car of late. I'd still leave it off.

I can't make out the lowest fuse row (#s 6, 12, and 18 ), but the other 15 spots looks almost exactly as they should. The only ones which don't match the standard fuse layout are the 15 Amp (blue) one in spot #3. It is normally a 10 Amp (red) one. This is for the windshield wipers and washers. Do these work on your car? The logic for how the delay works seems a little odd for some people initially. You can put it on steady slow or steady fast, or delay. The gadget that does that timing is on a bracket under the drivers footwell, and it is often hanging down but is supposed to be clipped into a spot on the foot pedals assembly. I'd investigate if there might be some reason why the PO went with 15 Amp perhaps before changing it.

Also, #5 (which is two down from the blue one) should be yellow 20 Amp yet it is 10 Amp red. This is for the dash instruments and indicators and service interval counter. Do all those items work on your car? I believe the lights around the instruments are on a separate fuse (#8 ), so this would actually be the gauges functioning itself. The service counter is a non-issue for most, unless it's causing you problems with your speedometer. Does your speedo work?

In the lower left hand corner you have the fan fail fused link. That's good. It normally has 20 Amp yellow fuses in it which you could double check. Do your cooling/radiator fans come on when you would expect them to? Are they original or the low power draw upgrades?

Most of those remaining shiny brass looking relay (cubes) are the originals. Many owners will get the upgrade kit which includes replacement relays and fuses and circuit breakers for the majority of what is in here. You might consider that for a money well spent preventative measure.

Do your power door locks work?

Yea, other than that, it's clean in there! Great! Even the wiring harness has a nice wrap still on it and there's no melty looking areas or previous rodent furniture lying around. That's a big bonus!!

Here's the fuse and relay schematic if you don't already have it. It's in the resource section too.

21245

[aipri]

Nice spot for the cruise controls. Looks like it wouldn't get hit by your knee or bumped much there.

Yes, most owners leave their fuse box cover off to make it easier for heat to dissipate.

That being said, your fuse and relay area looks pretty darn nice all things considered, so heat doesn't appear to have been an issue with the car of late. I'd still leave it off.

I can't make out the lowest fuse row (#s 6, 12, and 18 ), but the other 15 spots looks almost exactly as they should. The only ones which don't match the standard fuse layout are the 15 Amp (blue) one in spot #3. It is normally a 10 Amp (red) one. This is for the windshield wipers and washers. Do these work on your car? The logic for how the delay works seems a little odd for some people initially. You can put it on steady slow or steady fast, or delay. The gadget that does that timing is on a bracket under the drivers footwell, and it is often hanging down but is supposed to be clipped into a spot on the foot pedals assembly. I'd investigate if there might be some reason why the PO went with 15 Amp perhaps before changing it.

Also, #5 (which is two down from the blue one) should be yellow 20 Amp yet it is 10 Amp red. This is for the dash instruments and indicators and service interval counter. Do all those items work on your car? I believe the lights around the instruments are on a separate fuse (#8 ), so this would actually be the gauges functioning itself. The service counter is a non-issue for most, unless it's causing you problems with your speedometer. Does your speedo work?

In the lower left hand corner you have the fan fail fused link. That's good. It normally has 20 Amp yellow fuses in it which you could double check. Do your cooling/radiator fans come on when you would expect them to? Are they original or the low power draw upgrades?

Most of those remaining shiny brass looking relay (cubes) are the originals. Many owners will get the upgrade kit which includes replacement relays and fuses and circuit breakers for the majority of what is in here. You might consider that for a money well spent preventative measure.

Do your power door locks work?

Yea, other than that, it's clean in there! Great! Even the wiring harness has a nice wrap still on it and there's no melty looking areas or previous rodent furniture lying around. That's a big bonus!!

Here's the fuse and relay schematic if you don't already have it. It's in the resource section too.

21245

Wow Jonathan, I feel like I should be sending you a check for that evaluation haha! Thanks for all of the in depth commentary. The windshield wipers work fine, not sure why the fuse is different though. The speedo works other than being shaky due to the angle drive I believe. All of the other gauges work fine except the tach which froze at 2500 the other day. I'm not sure if the fans are original, the radiator appears to be, I included a picture of the fans, they look original to me and I know the originals were all black, but not sure. They do appear to be functioning normally though. I saw on the service records that PJ Grady disconnected the lock module when it was there, so the power locks do not work and lock light on the dashboard stays on. So I guess I will have to get the upgraded lock module at some point. Here is the fuse box with the bottom row visible and the fans.
2124721248

[Jonathan]

Wow Jonathan, I feel like I should be sending you a check for that evaluation haha! Thanks for all of the in depth commentary. The windshield wipers work fine, not sure why the fuse is different though. The speedo works other than being shaky due to the angle drive I believe. All of the other gauges work fine except the tach which froze at 2500 the other day. I'm not sure if the fans are original, the radiator appears to be, I included a picture of the fans, they look original to me and I know the originals were all black, but not sure. They do appear to be functioning normally though. I saw on the service records that PJ Grady disconnected the lock module when it was there, so the power locks do not work and lock light on the dashboard stays on. So I guess I will have to get the upgraded lock module at some point. Here is the fuse box with the bottom row visible and the fans.
2124721248

Hey, my pleasure! No payment required... the way I see it, somebody (many, really) helped me when I got my car, I am more than happy to try and help you, and someday hopefully you can help a future owner with his car. Call it the DeLorean version of the "pay it forward" thing. (but if you're in front of me in line at the coffee shop drive through, you can pay for my cup o' java :) )

Not so sure a fuse of slightly the wrong size would cause a tach gauge to freeze, but like Louie or others said, it could be related to dirty contacts or something similar. If anything, you could take each fuse out one by one, inspect, reinsert a couple times and more or less ensure the contacts are good and clean. That sort of thing is never a bad idea in general (grounds especially).

I'm not honestly all that familiar with the new fans or what they look like. Yours look like originals though, especially considering the original looking, and faded warning label still on it.

You have that single, all red wire coming from what looks like the door lock circuit breaker. I'm not so sure that is factory and there could be something going on there that was a PO fix of some kind. My car had a similar looking red wire that buddy routed directly to the fuel pump to get it to go. It came on anytime the ignition was powered. That's great and all to get you on your way, but it bypassed the inertia switch and some other safety related circuitry. Eek.

[Ron]

On the tachometer- Since the other components that use the same power feed in the instrument panel are working, I'd get to the White-Slate wire (as close as I could to the tach end) and use a hand held tachometer to see if the RPM signal is present (using any 12V+ and ground). If it was there, I'd suspect a bad connection to the circuit board or the tach itself. In that case, you'll have to pull the binnacle, which means you are only a few steps away from removing the tach. Once it is out you can hook everything else back up enough to test it right off of the coil as a 100% test. (tach "+" to battery "+", tach "-" to battery "-", and tach signal to coil -).

[aipri]

On the tachometer- Since the other components that use the same power feed in the instrument panel are working, I'd get to the White-Slate wire (as close as I could to the tach end) and use a hand held tachometer to see if the RPM signal is present (using any 12V+ and ground). If it was there, I'd suspect a bad connection to the circuit board or the tach itself. In that case, you'll have to pull the binnacle, which means you are only a few steps away from removing the tach. Once it is out you can hook everything else back up enough to test it right off of the coil as a 100% test. (tach "+" to battery "+", tach "-" to battery "-", and tach signal to coil -).

Thanks Ron, I will have to dig into that.